The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association is saddened by the loss of a member, friend, and neighbor Dean Rhoads. Dean was and always will be a tremendous asset to the livestock industry and our way of life. He wore many hats during his years spent as a rancher and politician. Dean could be seen on Monday up to his elbows in grease working on hay equipment, covered in dust on Tuesday moving cattle, be at a Fair Board meeting Wednesday night, and leave Thursday morning for Carson City. Many of the trips Dean took out of Nevada to various points in the country were to promote and defend public lands grazing and our industry in a way to sustain the way we do business. One of the biggest accomplishments in his long political career was the passing of legislation that included the grazing fee structure that we currently do business under. Dean worked tirelessly for years on this formula in a bi-partisan effort to accomplish a fair and equitable result. Dean had the ability to get things done even as the political climate changed as he was respected by his peers.

The next time you go to a horse racing event in Nevada, think of Dean Rhoads as he is the one that got state funding to continue racing in the state.

In 1976 Dean Rhoads came up with the idea to have a branding contest at the Elko County Fair. That idea has expanded into a great event all over the country.

Dean’s contribution to our Association is greatly admired and appreciated. The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, the livestock industry, the state of Nevada, and the entire country are in a better place because of the efforts and life of Dean Rhoads. We wish all the best to his family in these difficult times and want you to know his legacy will live on forever.

CALENDAR

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